The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-01-26
Grecley's Office Boy.

Amos Cummings, the New York SUMS
congressman told couple of stories about
the late Horace Greeley which | do not re-
member to have previously heard, and at
least one of which is certainly worth com
hitting to publication through the Herald.
Cummings was Greeley's night editor on
the old Tribune when Sidney Howard Gay
was managing editor. He probably re-
members more interesting and original
tales concerning the old gentleman than
are recollected by all the rest of the early
Tribune force put together. The first of his
stories he told about as follows: Greeley
used to have great trouble in securing office
boys who were satisfactory to him. If
boy was bright and smart there was prob
ably something wrong with him in some
other direction, and so there were frequent
changes in this department of the staff.
One day Greeley came in with great, big,
long-legged, thick-lipped, big-nosed fellow,
who had a voice like bull, and who looked
as though he had been knocked down and
run over bya beer truck. This bov-he was
about twenty - had been to Nicaragua
with Walker, and had been left. Greeley
brought him up to my desk and said:
Amos can't stand those boys you have
been employing, so / have engaged one for
myself. He will tell you what you are to
do Then the old gentleman disappeared
in his private office, and | gave the boy his
instructions. He seemed a good-hearted
sort of fellow, but he was big chump who
about week later, Greeley came in and
said to the lad, who sat on guard by the
door, Bub, have got a lot of writing to
do, and at eight o'clock | have promised to
make a speech to Father Mathew Society
Don't let anybody into my Office. | don't
want to see any buns tonight The boy
said all right, and went to reading news
| paper. Pretty soon man came in who had
! been stumping in the state in the repub-
lican interest, and who had always previ-
ously found his way to Greeley's private
! Office entirely unbarred. The boy caught
| him just as he was opening the door Said
he: Say, young Teller, what do we want?'
/ want to see Mr.. Greeley Well, you
can't do it. That's all there is about it. You
can't do it, can't, hey? Well, we'll
see about that. All right. I'll just about go
yer And the long-legged Nicaragua boy
caught the stump-speaker by the neck, swept
| up the floor with him for a few minutes,
rushed him out into the entry, and chuclled
| him down the spiral staircase. A few minutes
! later an old drunken cOmpostor who used
| to set type with Greeley, and who had made
| that excuse for many borrowed flyer,
sailed into the room. The boy didn't wait
! for him to speak at all. He just seized the
intruder, whrled him around the office,
over the file table, and against most of the
! desks, and sent him booming down the stair
case, heels over head. After that there was
period of peace, which was brought to a
termination by the entrance of Mr.. Henry
| Wilson, who subsequently became vice
president of the United States. Mr.. Wilson
had been stumping the state of Indiana and
was going through New York on his way to
Boston. He wore the worst-looking buster
/ had ever seen. 1t looked as if he had
ridden with it in the tender just back of the
engine, and the fireman had been shovel
ling coal all over him. AS some of you may
remember, Mr. Wilson was rather tall and
rather slender, and, when tired or heated,
| hp oh pI
Mr. Greeley's door, that Nicaragua boy rose
up before him and said: Well, what do
you WANT? Mr.. Wilson looked slightly sur
prised, but stared the boy ixedly in the eye
and said quietly, : ! should like to see Mr..
Greeley Mr.. Greeley won't see nobody.
You understand He won't see nobody
But, said Mr.. Wilson, quietly, still cycling
the boy with firmness, | think he de-
sres to see me. You will please take my
name to him. Over at my desk / could
hear every word that passed, and | was
nearly in paroXysm of internal laughter
Mr.. Wilson's manner and his steady glare
rather made the boy weaken, and after sur.
veying Mr.. Wilson from head to foot for a
second or two, he said: Well, what is your
name? / will take it in, but don't believe
he will see you just the same Mr.. Wilson
told the messenger who he was, and thai
rawboned functionary disappeared into the
private office. l could hear long talk be
{ tween Greeley and the boy. 1t was impos
| SlDle 10 distinguish unelr WOruS, Duu bree
ley's high falsetto, and the boys low, hoars,
, growl could be distinctly heard, and from
, the length of the talk could see that ther,
wasn't much of show for Wilson. Pres
entity the boy came out and said: / toll,
you so. He won't see yer. Now get out.
, Mr.. Wilson happened at this juncture t,
t see me, and came over to my desk. He sal,
there must be some mistake, and as he wa
, obliged to go to Boston on ten o'clock train
4 he felt it very necessary to see Greeley a
t once. So, hardly able to contain my laugh
!, ter, l led him in to the old gentleman
. private office. There sat Mr.. Greeley wit
e his nose close down to the paper, in hi
+ customary misunderstanding away TO
r dear life. Said |; Mr.. Greeley, here is MI
Henry Wilson, who says that it is very in
e portant that he should see you, and he ha
some difficulty in gaining an audience MI
. Greeley went right on with his work, an
$ said as he pegged away, What Wilsoo
: did you say?' Henry Wilson Humpf
4 The boy said there was an old bum name
e Wilson out there, and / gave him orders t
1 throw the bum out Then Mr.. Creole
$ turned around with broad smile on hi
e placid face, and everything was all right i